Clasp for shaping hat or bonnet frames.



PATENTED DEC; 22, 1903.

' A. BRODIN.

CLASP FOR SHAPING HAT 0R BONNET FRAMES;

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

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a I I THE Nomns PETERS ca. PHOTO-Mina. WASHINGTON, u. n.

Patented December 22, 1903.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

ARVID BRODIN, ,OF ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.

CLASP FOR SHAPING HAT OR BONNET FRAMES...

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 747,682, dated December22, 1903.

I Application filed March 7,1903. Serial No. 146,615. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ARVID BRODIN, a citizenof the United States, and a resident of St.

Joseph, in the county of Buchanan and State of Missouri, have .inventeda new and Improved Clasp for Shaping Hat or Bonnet Frames, of which thefollowingis a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to the forming of wire frames for hats andbonnet-s worn by women.

In the manufaature of hats and bonnets for womens wear material ofdifferent kinds is used, such as straw braid, felt, buckram, and alsoflimsy goods, such as silk, lace, chiffon, and velvet. When straw braid,hair-plaited braid, felt, or buckram formsthe body of the head-gear,such material after being sewed together or otherwise given approximate.form is pressed into correct shape on a block that is the exact form tobe given to the hat or bonnet. If, however, the head covering is to bemainly composed of unsubstantial material, such as hereinbeforementioned, such goods must be given and maintained in proper shape by askeleton frame of wire. The trade has been supplied with wire bonnet andhat frames by manufacturers of such specialties,

and as there are generally quite a number'ofdifferent shapes in vogueeach season a manufacturing milliner to suit the various fancies of herpatrons must keep in stock a nu mber of wire frames of all thefashionable shapes. This requirement involves expense and a possibleloss, as all frames on hand at the end of a season may becomeunfa'shionable the following season, and therefore unsalable.

The object of this invention is to provide simple novel means to enablea milliner to quickly shape a frame of wire to serve as the foundationof a hat or bonnet to be made of chiffon or other light unsubstantialgoods by using-a hat or bonnet formed of felt, straw, or othersubstantial material that has been pressed into proper shape on a block,such means consisting of a specially-devised clasp to be applied-insufficient number for the retention of wire as .it is manually bent intoshape over the hat or bonnet body that is to be duplicated in lightflimsy material.

The invention consists in the novel construction of the clasp from asingle piece of metal, as is hereinafter described, and define in theappended claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective representation of a shaped hat and of a wireframe formed thereover by employment of a suitable number of theimproved clasps applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of thecompleted wire frame removed from the hat whereon it had been formed.Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the edge portionof a hat-rim, the improved clasp mounted on the hat-rim, and a piece ofthe hat-frame wire held by the clasp; and Fig. 4 is a perspective viewof the improved wire-holding clasp.

. The clasp-that comprises the feature of improvement in use is employedin sufficient number to serve. effectively as a wire-holder during theoperation of shaping wire strands into a skeleton wire frame and isconstructed as follows An oblong rectangular planchet, of resilient thinsheet metal, is provided, the dimensions of said planchet or flat blankbe ing proportioned to permit the formation of the improved clasptherefrom. At a the blank is bent to afiord a member 5, which extends asa flat'spring upward from the angular corner a, and at a'short distancefrom said corner another bend b is formed, thus disposing thematerialparallelwith the spring member 5 and spaced therefrom by thetransverse member 6, that may be termed the heel portion of the clasp.At a point slightly above the free upper end of the platespring 5 aright-angle bend c is formed, thus defining the height of the outer sideplate 7, that coacts with the members 5 and 6 to produce a U-shapedspring. There is another right-angle bend 61 formed in the remainingportion of the material at such a distance from the angular corner c-aswill produce a spacing-web d, that properly spaces the dependingresilient member 8 from the upright spring member 5, and, asshown inFig. 4, the member 8 preferably equals in length that of the member 7.e, which defines the distance between the spring member 5 and the outerspring memlCC It will be seen that thespace her 8, is such as willpermit the introduction of a piece of material-such as the edge of ahat-rim or the liketherein'and that these spring members will bereliably clasped thereon, due to the coaction of the three springmembers 5, 7, and 8, together with the transverse members 6 and d. Afingerspring 9 is formed integral with the spring member 8 by cutting asuitable portion of the material of said member loose at the side edgesand one end of the finger-spring, leaving the opposite end remainintact, and, as shown, the finger spring 9 is preferably curved upwardand toward the horizontal spacing-web d, so as to adapt the fingerspringfor clasping engagement with a wire strand to hold it clamped againstthe depending spring member 8, as is shown clearly in Fig. 3.

The hat shown in Fig. 1 to illustrate the use of such a head-covering asa form whereon to shape a wire frame and the application of the improvedclasp for such a purpose is one 7 of the popular styles and consists ofa circularly-walled crown-piece A, having a fiat top.

A and a wide rim A which projects at the front and is curved upwardaround the entire edge portion. It is to be understood that the shape ofthe model hat, which is to serve as a form whereon a wire frame is to bebuilt, may be varied in style and be of any material that issufficiently substantial in texture to hold its shape when pressed overa block into form. The operation of forming the wire frame over the hatas a defining form by employing the improved spring-clasps in propernumber will now be described.

A wire strand g of sufficient length and proper thickness to affordnecessary stability is bent into curved form, so that it will lie incontact with the inner surface of the hatrim A near the edge of thesame, and to insure stiifness of the border-wire 9 it is lapped togetherat its end portions, and these lapped ends are held connected bywrappings of tiewire, as shown at h. A suitable number of the improvedclasps hereinbefore described are now applied at spaced intervals uponthe hat-rim for retention of the border-wire g removablyin positionthereon, and it will be seen that the great degree of resilienceafforded to the clasps, considered separately, by the coaction of theU-shaped spring, that is composed of the members 5 6 7, with thedepending spring member 8, permits the insertion of the edge portion ofthe hat-rim A fully within the channel e, between the spring members 5and 8, for the retention of each clasp in position on the hat-rimwithout distorting the shape of said rim, which is a very essentialmatter, as otherwise it would be impossible to give correct form to thewire border 9, that is the main support of the remaining portions of thewire frame.

It will be seen in Figs. 1 and 3 that in application of the improvedclasps the springplate members 8 are disposed so as to contac with theinner surface of the hat-rim A so that the border-ring g may beintroduced beneath the fingei spring 9, and thus be clamped against theplate-springs S, which will hold the shaped border-ring at the edge ofthe rim A and conforming with its undulating shape. From theborder-ringga series of frame-wires g extend toward the body of the crown A, thesewires g being looped at their outer ends for a hooked attachment to theborderring and are spaced apart equally. At the base of the crown Awhere it joins the rimpiece A the wires g are bent angularly, so thatportions 9 may extend upward in contact with said crown-piece A. Thereare like bends formed in the upright wires g at the upper edge of thehat-crown A where the top piece A joins it and the wires g cross the toppiece, lapping one upon the other at the center of the latter, therebeing a tie-wire h wrapped around the wires at their crossingpoint andsecured by twisting its ends. A wire ring g is provided that closelyencircles the wires where they are bent upward at the base of the crownA, and at the points where said ring 9 crosses the wires g said wiresare secured thereto by tie-wires It. Another wire frame-ring, g, is heldclosely encircling the upright. wires g at their upper bends by thetie-wires h, and it will be seen that the rings g g by their securedengagement With the upright wires 9 and with the horizontal portions ofthe same that cross the top of the hat serve to space apart and stiffenthe skeleton wire-crown structure of the hatframe. The transversewire-frame members g, that are bent so as to have close engagement withthe concave upper surface of the hat-rim A, are held spaced apart by twowire rings g g that are of such relative dimensions as will permit themto be properly spaced from the inner and outer edges of the hat-rim andfrom each other, and, as shown, the transverse wiresg' are secured tothe rings g 9 where they cross said rings,by tie-wires h.

It will be seen that by construction of the hat-frame, as described, itwill exactly conform with the shape of the model hat, and when the frameis completed it may be removed from the hat upon which it was formed byremoval of the clasps from the hat and border of the hat-frame.

Obviously any number of wire frames may be built upon the hat or bonnetof which such frames are to be counterparts in an expeditious manner andat far less cost than that of frames furnished by manufacturers to thetrade. Furthermore, it will be evident that it is a prime essential toprovide detachable means for retaining the border frame-ring engagedwith the rim of the hat until the hatframe is completed, as otherwisethe work of assembling the parts of the skeleton frame would be retardedand be imperfectly exeouted.

ITO

Having thus described my invention, I 9 struck up therefrom andextending upclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters wardly towardthe connecting portion of the Patentouter members, as set forth.

As an improved article of manufacture, a In testimony whereof I havesigned my 5 clasp for the purpose described, formed of a I name to thisspecification in the presence of 15 strip of resilient plate metal bentto form the two subscribing witnesses. I

outer members '7 and 8 and the intermediate ARVID BRODIN. spring member5 extending from the mem- Witnesses: her 7 up between the said members,the mem HANS. P. NIELSON,

10 her 8 being provided with the spring-finger F. FREDERICK.

